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Project Almanac Review

I first heard about Project Almanac late 2013 and was ready for it in early 2014. Then I forgot about it while it had been pushed back to 2015. That’s not something that screams “This is a good film”. Not to mention I hate found footage films. I think it is the cheapest and laziest way to make a film. There are a few exceptions, Chronicle, the first Paranormal Activity, but other than that I tend to stay away. Some films catch my eye and make me think “this one, this one is going to be a good found footage film”. Normally I am disappointed, but Project Almanac, this one surprised me.

Project Almanac stars relative unknowns Jonny Weston, Sofia Black D’Elia, Sam Lerner, and Allen Evangelista. It is directed by Dean Israelite and produced by Michael Bay. The film is a sci-fi adventure film that sees 5 friends who find the blue prints to a time machine that was once put together by one of their fathers. They decide using their intellect that they are capable of finishing this device. Once they get it up and running they use it to better their lives until they begin to realize they are interrupting the world, and causing tragedies.

If you had to describe this film, you would do so by calling it a combination of The Butterfly Effect and Chronicle. The film is very fun to watch. The cast is pretty functional. None of these actors and actresses are thespians, but that’s not to say they are not good, and won’t become great. Not to mention, D’Elia is incredibly beautiful. When they start traveling through time it really picks up and becomes really fun to watch. They do the generic things that we all would do with a time machine. Help them pass classes, play the lotto, go to concerts. And when things start to get south you get the main characters sense of urgency to fix things.

The problems with Project Almanac a pretty basic. Some of the dialog is cheesy, some of the acting a little bummy. Nothing that you’re unable to overlook though. The set up really takes some time. It gets to a point where they have been putting together this Time Machine and it’s been a pretty decent chunk of the film and you start to think “ok guys, let’s do this time to start Marty McFlying”. When they finally do get it off the ground the 2nd act takes you through all the fun they have. When the 3rd act comes around, it’s pretty much “we screwed things up” Boom, film wraps up. From the moment you hit the major dilemma till the end of the film is maybe 15-20 minutes.

All in all, Project Almanac is no Back to the Future, but it is still a fun film that’s worth a see. I’m giving it a Jeebus score of 3.3. But how about you Jackass Nation? Are you excited for Project Almanac? Are you planning on seeing it? What are some of your favorite time travel movies? Sound off in the comments below!